I think there are admirable things in various faiths such as Taoism, but I think the same things can be found in Christianity, so I don't see a need for me to "mix" in other stuff when trying to be Christian. Fwiw.

I used to study a variety of different religions here and there, nothing too crazy. The older I become and now that I have found the true Church, I have no desire to learn of the heresies of man. I honestly don’t care much of what they have to say anymore.

Most of them, or at least a significant number. Every religion has an aspect of truth, and if understood in unison and in the context of a collective and universal human spirituality, serve as the prismatic colors that come together to form a single ray of white light that is WISDOM-RELIGION.

« Last Edit: December 28, 2012, 10:54:37 PM by Ioannis Climacus »

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Note : Many of my posts (especially the ones antedating late 2012) do not reflect charity, tact, or even views I presently hold. Please forgive me for any antagonism I have caused.

Most of them, or at least a significant number. Every religion has an aspect of truth, and if understood in unison and in the context of a collective and universal human spirituality, serve as the prismatic colors that come together to form a single ray of white light that is WISDOM-RELIGION.

I feel strongly that if someone is trying to incorporate (mix) other religions into Orthodox Christianity, then this person most likely doesn't understand Orthodox Christianity. My understanding is that, as Orthodox Christians, we believe there are truths in other religions, only Orthodox Christianity contains the full, complete Truth.

I offer this not to be contentious or judgmental but to inspire us to delve deeper into Orthodoxy.

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"The Scots-Irish; Brewed in Scotland, bottled in Ireland, uncorked in America." ~Scots-Irish saying

Messianic, Lutheran/non-baptism, tragically conservative non-denominational recovering from some painfully skewed ideas with an occasional bit of general theism/semi-agnosticism-but some of that is my flesh side. I am not the most mature or wisest Orthodox here. I'm just a work in progress learning what it means to be Orthodox better. Reading/listening to Orthodox people is good, and Orthodox churches (as long as the people are kind and loving and not hyper-fundamentalist in a western sense) are the best!

I'm personally a bit interested in things like Baha'i, Sihkism, and Hinduism. It's a different mindset that I want to understand better. I have not found much real, fundamental truth outside of Christianity.

« Last Edit: December 29, 2012, 02:32:51 AM by Anastasia1 »

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Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor 2:6)

I feel strongly that if someone is trying to incorporate (mix) other religions into Orthodox Christianity, then this person most likely doesn't understand Orthodox Christianity. My understanding is that, as Orthodox Christians, we believe there are truths in other religions, only Orthodox Christianity contains the full, complete Truth.

I offer this not to be contentious or judgmental but to inspire us to delve deeper into Orthodoxy.

+1

I use some Roman Catholic prayers and hymns in my private devotion, but I suppose they're used by Orthodox WR.

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Pray for persecuted Christians, especially in Serbian Kosovo and Raška, Egypt and Syria

I'm inspired by four great Traditions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.

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If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

Well....sometimes I'll play praise and worship music on my guitar, if that counts for anything?

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I'm inspired by four great Traditions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.

When it comes to Hinduism and its philosophies, Paradvaita > all others :p When I was delving into Hinduism, Kashmir Shaivism and it's unique look at monism intrigued me (Advaita was waaay too impersonal).

There are aspects of other religions that I find interesting. Some of these pointed the way to Orthodoxy for me, and some help me understand certain aspects of Orthodoxy to this day. While Orthodoxy may indeed be the complete repository of Truth, I have yet to find many parishes that even remotely come close to displaying that Truth. Often, I have found some of these Truths in other religions before I found them in the Orthodox Church. Not that they were not there. They were just not as evident. However, as my collection of Orthodox books increased, and as my exposure to more and more Orthodox Christians increased, my need for the writings of other religions grew less and less. I still rely heavily on certain Lutheran Commentaries, and I use both Lutheran and Roman Catholic sources for my daily prayers and services. But I cannot remember that last time that I read any Hindu, Taoist, Gnostic or other writings. As tools, they did their job. I no longer believe that I need them.

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I would be happy to agree with you, but then both of us would be wrong.

I'm inspired by four great Traditions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.

Cool.

Also Kabbalah/Judaism.

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If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

Well....sometimes I'll play praise and worship music on my guitar, if that counts for anything?

Quote

I'm inspired by four great Traditions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.

When it comes to Hinduism and its philosophies, Paradvaita > all others :p When I was delving into Hinduism, Kashmir Shaivism and it's unique look at monism intrigued me (Advaita was waaay too impersonal).

For me, Shaiva Siddhanta over Advaita, likewise.

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If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

The Kabbalah is amazing. A lot of it makes me go 'bzuh?' but what makes sense makes a lot of sense.

I've been practising yoga for over 20 years and I find the first 4 limbs of the eightfold path have absolutely nothing contradicting Christianity in general and Orthodoxy in particular. From pratyahara upwards, the waters can muddy a lot.

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'When you live your path all the time, you end up with both more path and more time.'~Venecia Rauls

The Kabbalah is amazing. A lot of it makes me go 'bzuh?' but what makes sense makes a lot of sense.

I've been practising yoga for over 20 years and I find the first 4 limbs of the eightfold path have absolutely nothing contradicting Christianity in general and Orthodoxy in particular. From pratyahara upwards, the waters can muddy a lot.

some priests however condemn the practice of yoga. They think of it as worshipping demons. Even if this is not what is really happenning.

some priests however condemn the practice of yoga. They think of it as worshipping demons. Even if this is not what is really happenning.

No, they think of it as a Hindu religious practice, and at its higher levels it is. The same accusation has been levelled against martial arts. The practice styles can vary widely, in both disciplines, that's why there's no consensus on their cult status.

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'When you live your path all the time, you end up with both more path and more time.'~Venecia Rauls

I'm inspired by four great Traditions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.

Cool.

Also Kabbalah/Judaism.

cool. But if you believe them all religiously, how do you manage to make them agree with each other?

They agree at the Heart, in the realm of Silence.

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If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

Most of them, or at least a significant number. Every religion has an aspect of truth, and if understood in unison and in the context of a collective and universal human spirituality, serve as the prismatic colors that come together to form a single ray of white light that is WISDOM-RELIGION.

The universalism thread is over there -------------->

Chuckle...or on any thread we have on Freemasonry.

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"Religion is a neurobiological illness and Orthodoxy is its cure." - Fr. John S. Romanides

Most of them, or at least a significant number. Every religion has an aspect of truth, and if understood in unison and in the context of a collective and universal human spirituality, serve as the prismatic colors that come together to form a single ray of white light that is WISDOM-RELIGION.

Most of them, or at least a significant number. Every religion has an aspect of truth, and if understood in unison and in the context of a collective and universal human spirituality, serve as the prismatic colors that come together to form a single ray of white light that is WISDOM-RELIGION.

How the mighty have fallen...

The theosophy graphic in his sig line is the giveaway. Though I do wonder how and why he has gone from a hardline Orthodox to a syncretist ...

I'm inspired by four great Traditions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.

Cool.

Also Kabbalah/Judaism.

cool. But if you believe them all religiously, how do you manage to make them agree with each other?

They agree at the Heart, in the realm of Silence.

Just curious Jetavan, why do you seem cool with Orthodoxy when it holds exclusivistic beliefs you wouldn't agree with?

Orthodoxy is exclusivistic? I think Orthodoxy is the most inclusivistic of the Christian traditions.

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If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

Most of them, or at least a significant number. Every religion has an aspect of truth, and if understood in unison and in the context of a collective and universal human spirituality, serve as the prismatic colors that come together to form a single ray of white light that is WISDOM-RELIGION.

How the mighty have fallen...

The theosophy graphic in his sig line is the giveaway. Though I do wonder how and why he has gone from a hardline Orthodox to a syncretist ...

Read too much Tolstoy?

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"Religion is a neurobiological illness and Orthodoxy is its cure." - Fr. John S. Romanides

Well....sometimes I'll play praise and worship music on my guitar, if that counts for anything?

Quote

I'm inspired by four great Traditions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.

When it comes to Hinduism and its philosophies, Paradvaita > all others :p When I was delving into Hinduism, Kashmir Shaivism and it's unique look at monism intrigued me (Advaita was waaay too impersonal).

Well....sometimes I'll play praise and worship music on my guitar, if that counts for anything?

Quote

I'm inspired by four great Traditions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.

When it comes to Hinduism and its philosophies, Paradvaita > all others :p When I was delving into Hinduism, Kashmir Shaivism and it's unique look at monism intrigued me (Advaita was waaay too impersonal).

For me, Shaiva Siddhanta over Advaita, likewise.

Have you ever heard of the Himalayan Academy?

Yep. Hard-core Shaivas.

« Last Edit: January 02, 2013, 11:20:51 AM by Jetavan »

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If you will, you can become all flame.Extra caritatem nulla salus.In order to become whole, take the "I" out of "holiness". सर्वभूतहितἌνω σχῶμεν τὰς καρδίας"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is." -- Mohandas GandhiY dduw bo'r diolch.

Well....sometimes I'll play praise and worship music on my guitar, if that counts for anything?

Quote

I'm inspired by four great Traditions: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism.

When it comes to Hinduism and its philosophies, Paradvaita > all others :p When I was delving into Hinduism, Kashmir Shaivism and it's unique look at monism intrigued me (Advaita was waaay too impersonal).